A human infant fed human milk will develop after birth an intestinal microbiota rich in lactic acid producing bacteria. This is due to the presence of non-digestible saccharides in human milk which are specifically fermented by lactic acid producing bacteria, especially bifidobacteria.
A microbiota rich in bifidobacteria is beneficial since it has a preventive effect on infections, diarrhoea, constipation, gastro-intestinal inflammation, intestinal maturation, allergy, in particular food allergy, atopic diseases including atopic dermatitis, and asthma and it has a beneficial effect on the immune system.
Formula for young children can be adapted to mimic the bifidogenic effect of human milk. WO 2005039319 discloses the use of living Bifidobacterium breve and a mixture of two different non-digestible saccharides to improve the microbiota of formula fed infants. The document discloses the relevance of bifidobacteria on a genus level as well as on a species level. WO 20070046698 discloses the use of a composition comprising non-digestible oligosaccharide for the manufacture of a composition for enteral administration to an infant delivered via caesarean section. Live lactic acid bacteria are to be co-administered to increase the diversity and/or the quantity of microorganisms in the intestine of the caesarean delivered infant. JP 01242532 discloses the use of viable or non-viable B. breve as an immunopotentiator that stimulates Peyer's patches thereby preventing intra-intestinal tract infection and allergy. This document does not concern nutritional formula for infants and/or toddlers.